Watch the full conversation between Seneiya Navajas and Fashionista’s Editor in Chief Dhani Mau on The Fashionista Network.

After working at the United Nations Global Compact for almost five years, Seneiya Navajas came to a realization: “I was working with large companies and meeting their CEOs and chief sustainability officers and talking about where we think we should be [with sustainability practices]. I realized, how could I confidently ask companies to achieve something if I haven’t been in their shoes to understand the struggle?”

Navajas thought about how to make the pivot to the corporate side and ended up setting her sights on Uniqlo. She discovered the clothing company the way most people do — from a desperate need for warmth during an East Coast winter. “When I first moved to New York nine years ago, it was the coldest winter I’d ever experienced,” she told Dhani on The Fashionista Network. (Watch it here!) “Everyone told me about HeatTech…so that was my entry point.”

Beyond her admiration for the brand’s product offerings, Navajas also appreciated its Re Uniqlo program, where clothing that customers no longer need is donated to local homeless shelters or recycled. The company also partners with the United Nations Refugee Agency, offering Navajas a natural connection to its existing work.

Navajas joined the Uniqlo team (via its parent company, Fast Retailing) in 2022, eventually becoming Director of Sustainability for Uniqlo U.S. in March of this year.

Since then, Navajas has expanded the brand’s community initiatives, partnering with Feeding America to organize volunteer events across nearly 80 Uniqlo stores across the United States twice a year. “We want to have the availability to have arms everywhere,” she said.

“There’s a lot that I want to achieve as we grow in order to continue benefiting those we support through our partnerships and really seeing how we can maximize the impact,” she continued. “I think that’s a very important challenge that I have professionally.”

In the full interview, the Bolivia-born economist discusses how she helped lead Uniqlo’s efforts to support wildfire relief in California, how she helps the brand avoid greenwashing and ensures transparency when it comes to its sustainability strategy. Plus, hear her advice for those aspiring to a role similar to hers.  

Watch the full interview here.

This conversation was hosted on The Fashionista Network powered by interactive media platform Fireside, where viewers get the chance to participate and speak directly with industry figures. Learn more about The Fashionista Network here.

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